Getting the kids outside for some fresh, if frigid, air this week is being made a little easier thanks to dozens of volunteers across the city who are taking advantage of the plunging temperatures to flood outdoor ice rinks in city parks.
The first of six city-sanctioned outdoor rinks opened Monday, with more expected to open for skating in the coming days.
Volunteers were busy flooding the Can-Amera Park outdoor rink in expectation it would be ready to open soon.
Residents are asked to keep an eye on the city's website for updates.
The city is also asking residents to take heed of new rules that follow provincial guidelines to stop the spread of COVID under modified Step 2 on the Road to Reopen Ontario.
Those rules include a limit of 25 skaters on the ice at any given time. Skaters are also asked to refrain from contact play, maintain two metres of physical distancing and wear a mask whenever possible.
The rules also limit the number of social gatherings to 10 people.
All users must be off the ice by 10 p.m. and helmets are recommended at all times.
The city says it will be enforcing the rules as needed and asks residents to stay off the rinks until they are ready for use, or when they are soft and wet, to prevent any damage that may delay them from re-opening.
